


Three Words, Eight Letters

by supervengerslock



Series: Hey, Stephen [2]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor: Ragnarok - Fandom
Genre: 5 Things, 5 Times, F/M, Fluff, Reader Can't Say "I Love You", Reader is Tony Stark's Daughter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2019-08-22
Packaged: 2020-09-24 04:34:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20352454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supervengerslock/pseuds/supervengerslock
Summary: Five times Stephen Strange told Y/N he loved her and the one time  she told him loved him back.





	Three Words, Eight Letters

The first time it happened was during the fight with Dormammu, Stephen had told Y/N he loved her and then kissed her before he went off to face Dormammu alone. They hadn’t gotten a chance to talk about it until they were finally alone, back at the New York sanctum after the fight.

“Look,” Stephen said after stepping through the portal. “About what I said, earlier…”

A feeling of uneasiness washed over Y/N. She felt the same way Stephen did, and she really wanted to say it, she just couldn’t. 

“I meant what I said, but I only said it then because I thought we were going to die and I needed to tell you. You don’t have to say it back.”

Now, she felt guilty for not saying it back. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but saving the multiverse made me hungry,” Stephen says. “You want to get some pizza?”

Y/N smiles at him. “I’d like that. But we should probably get cleaned up first.”

Stephen magics up a first aid kit and they sit down on the steps and start cleaning the cuts and scrapes on their faces and bodies. Y/N sits on the step above Stephen so she can reach his face.

“You know, I never got to apologize for passing up your case last year,” he says.

“Please, it’s water under the bridge,” Y/N replies. “Besides, everything worked out for the best.”

Stephen flinches as Y/N runs an alcohol swab on the cut on his cheek. Y/N laughs. “Aren’t you a doctor?”

“Still burns.”

Y/N chuckles. The two of them gaze into each other’s eyes as their faces come closer together and their lips meet. Their second kiss. Second of many that day and until the end of time.

The second time Stephen said he loved her was during their first fight. Stephen had had coffee with Christine and Y/N was not too happy about it.

“Are you sleeping with her?” Y/N asks.

“What? No!”

“Then why didn’t you tell me? Why did I have to find out from Peter when he saw you at Starbucks with her?” Y/N asks.

“I didn’t think it was a big deal,” he says. “She’s my friend, I didn’t think you’d care.”

Y/N shakes her head. “I swear to God,” she says under her breath. 

“How would you feel if I had lunch with Steve?” Y/N asks.

“He’s a wanted criminal, so that’s not even possible,” Stephen says. 

“I was cheated on once before, Stephen Strange, I won’t be cheated on again.”

“Y/N, I love you. Only you,” Stephen says. “I’m sorry I upset you. I won’t see Christine again if you don’t want me to.”

Y/N chokes back a sob Stephen pulls her into his arms. “Please, don’t cry, it’s okay.”

“I’m so sorry, I can’t believe I accused you of that. You can hang out with her if you want. She’s your friend. I know you’d never cheat on me.”

“I love you, Y/N,” Stephen says. “I’ll never treat you the way he did. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

In that moment, Y/N wanted to say she loved him too, that he was also the best thing that ever happened to her, but she couldn’t. She still couldn’t bring herself to say it, and he stood there with that grin on his face. Even if she didn’t say it, he knew she loved him. It was her actions that said it, not her words. The way she took care of him because Stephen Strange has no concept of self care whatsoever. She made sure he ate and got enough sleep, she always bandaged him up after he got hurt in a fight. 

He held her closer that night while they slept in each other’s arms, so in love.

The third time Stephen said he loved her was the night he proposed to Y/N. He had this big plan, if anyone was going to propose at a fancy restaurant, it would be Stephen Strange. While he didn’t have nearly as much money as he used to, he still had plenty for them to live comfortably. 

And once he sold his old penthouse, he got quite a large sum of money to play around with, since they didn’t need to pay for things like a mortgage or bills or even taxes, since the sanctum was tax exempt. 

He went out and bought himself a nice suit for the occasion, and then there was the ring. He dragged Wong with him to every jewelry store in the general vicinity. 

“Will you just pick one?” Wong asked at the fourth jewelry store that day. 

“It has to be perfect, Wong. None of these scream Y/N.”

“What about that one?” Wong asks, pointing to a ring in the glass case. 

It was a gold ring with an emerald on it. It looked just like the eye of Agamotto. Stephen bought the ring. Now it was just a matter of how he would propose at dinner.

“Maybe put the ring in the dessert? Or the champagne glass?” Stephen says to himself. He ultimately decides not to do either of those since it was an expensive ring and just keep it in his jacket pocket. 

When the day finally came, he was practically shaking with nerves when he and Y/N went to the restaurant. 

“Wow,” Y/N says, looking around the restaurant in wonder. “I haven’t been to a place this fancy in years.”

“You deserve it,” Stephen says. 

The maitre d brought them to their table and Stephen pulled out a chair for Y/N before sitting in his own. 

Shortly after, the waiter brought them a bottle of champagne and two glasses. “Ooh, champagne, what are we celebrating?” Y/N asks. 

“Us,” Stephen answers.

They sat through dinner and it came close to time for dessert when Stephen hurried to the bathroom. 

He took some deep breaths and splashed some water on his face. “Get it together, Strange,” he told himself.

Stephen took another deep breath and headed back out to the table. He sat down and Y/N gave him a concerned look.

“You okay?” she asks.

“Yeah,” he says. “I just, I need to say something.”

“Okay….”

“When I met you at Kamar-taj, I was at the lowest point in my life, I’d lost my career, my money,my hands, everything. I’d almost given up hope when I found you. You were the one that fought for me to stay, even knowing who I was, the neurosurgeon that refused to operate on you just a few months before. It wouldn’t be an understatement to say that I fell in love with you that day. You are the most intelligent, kindest, strongest, bravest woman I’ve ever known. You made me a better man.”

Tears were pooling in Y/N’s eyes as she figured out what was going on. Stephen stood from his chair and got down on one knee. “So, Y/N Maria Stark, will you marry me?”

Y/N was crying now, she had her hand over her mouth, speechless, but she nodded. Stephen stood up and kissed her. 

When they finally sat back down at their table, the restaurant brought them free dessert. They held hands and smiled for the rest of the night.

The fourth time Stephen told Y/N he loved her, he was a little jealous. He knew Y/N used to be an Avenger, and therefore was friends with Thor. He still didn’t like seeing his fiancé hugging up on the god of thunder himself. 

Thor had strolled in looking like one of those guys you meet in obscure cafes with the long hair, the beard, and the horrible outfit that looks like he came straight from Urban Outfitters. 

They were currently chatting, catching up, while Stephen stood impatiently waiting for their conversation to end. 

He glared at the Asgardian when he heard Y/N laughing at something he said. Thor saw him glaring and shot him back a puzzled look. 

“Can we get back to the matter at hand, please?” Stephen finally asks before teleporting them to another room with chairs.

“I keep a watchlist of individuals who may be a threat to this world, and your adoptive brother, Loki is one of those beings.”

“He’s a worthy inclusion,” Thor says.

Stephen leans in “Then why bring him here?”

“So, if I were to tell you where Odin was, all parties concerned would promptly return to Asgard?”

“Promptly.”

“Great! Then I’ll help you.”

“If you knew where he was, why didn’t you call me?” Thor asked.

“Odin was adamant that he not be disturbed, your father said he had chosen to remain in exile. And you don’t have a phone.”

“No, I don’t have a phone, but you could have sent an electronic letter, it’s called an email?” Thor says.

“Do you have a computer?”

“No, what for?”

Stephen rolls his eyes as Y/N laughs.

“Anyway, my father is no longer in exile, if you could tell me where he is, I could take him home.”

“Gladly. He is in Norway.”

Stephen starts teleporting around the library to see about the spell. “Would you stop doing that?” Thor asks.

“Can I- I need just one strand of your hair.”

“Let me tell you something! My hair is not to be meddled with!” 

Stephen pulls a hair from Thor’s head and starts to do the spell and teleports them to the steps, which Thor starts to fall down.

Stephen opens the portal and gestures towards it. “He’s waiting for you.”

“Thank you. And it was wonderful to see you again, Y/N.”

“You too, Thor,” Y/N says as Thor kisses her hand. 

“Don’t forget your umbrella,” Stephen says irritably.

“Oh, yes.” Thor puts out his arm and the three of them hear objects in the other room crashing. 

“Sorry…”

“And I suppose I’ll need my brother back,” Thor says. 

“Oh, right.” 

Stephen opens the portal above them and Loki hits the ground. “I HAVE BEEN FALLING FOR THIRTY MINUTES!”

“You can handle him from here,” Stephen says. 

“Yes, of course,” Thor says, shaking Stephen’s hand. “Thank you very much for your help.”

“Handle me? Who are you?” Loki asks, bringing out two knives. 

“You think you’re some kind of sorcerer? Done think for one minute you second rate-“ 

Then Loki sees Y/N. “Oh, hello there.” He winks at her. 

“Alright, bye bye,” Stephen says, angrily shoving them through the portal.

“There was little need to be jealous,” Y/N says, looking at Stephen. 

“C’mon, let’s go to Ben and Jerry’s get some Hulk-A-Hulk-A-Burning Fudge,.”

“I love you,” Stephen says, laughing as Y/N drags him through the portal to a certain ice cream place.

The fifth time Stephen said he loved her, he knew it wouldn’t be the last time, but it was to her. They were on Titan, Thanos had just stabbed Tony with his sword. 

“I hope they’ll remember you,” Thanos said, about to kill Tony. 

“Stop!” Stephen interrupted. “Spare his life and I will give you the stone.”

“No tricks?”

Stephen shook his head. Thanos dropped Tony and Y/N watched in horror as Stephen floated the time stone over to Thanos.

Thanos places the time stone in the gauntlet and teleports himself away, presumably to earth. 

“Did we just lose?” Quill asks, taking off his helmet. 

Everyone was looking at Stephen. “Why would you do that?” Tony asks him. 

“We’re in the Endgame now.”

“Stephen,” Y/N pleads with him. “You have to tell us what you saw, what happens next.”

“I can’t do that,” he says. “If I tell you what happens, it won’t happen.”

Y/N was helping her father up off the ground when one of the guardians said something.

“Something’s happening!” The girl, Mantis, turned to dust and Drax followed shortly. 

Y/N was still supporting her father. “Steady, Quill,” Tony said.

“Aw, man!” Quill exclaimed as he too, started to turn to dust.

Y/N hurried to Stephen’s side. He tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “There was no other way,” he says. “I lo-“ 

He also turned to dust. Y/N stared at the dust forming in the air in disbelief. They had lost.

Five years later, during the battle to save the earth would be the time Y/N said she loved him. 

Y/N was standing at the front of the army with Steve when the portals opened and everyone came through. Y/N looked back to see him. Stephen. 

In the heat of the battle, Y/N looked over to see that Stephen was stopping a flood. Y/N hurried over to help him. 

“You know, I thought our reunion would be more romantic.” Y/N says and Stephen chuckles.

“You mean fighting off an alien army isn’t considered romantic?” he jokes.

When the water is gone, Y/N collapses into his arms. “I love you,” she says. 

“It took me literally dying for you to finally say it,” Stephen chuckles. 

Tony flies up to them. “Welcome back, asshole,” he says to Stephen. “You said one out of fourteen million, we win yeah? Tell me this is it?”

“If I tell you what happens, it won’t happen.”

“You better be right,” Tony says. 

The fight goes on and Thanos makes a grab for the gauntlet, but Carol attacks him, and he throws her aside. He grabs the gauntlet and puts it on. Carol starts to pull the gauntlet off, but Thanos uses the power stone against her.

Stephen looks at Tony and puts up his index finger. One. Tony gets the message.

Thanos returns the power stone to the gauntlet as Tony hurried over to the Titan, Y/N following him.

Tony and Y/N grab the gauntlet, trying to pull it off the titan’s arms. Thanos throws both of them aside and goes to snap his fingers. “I am inevitable.”

He looks at the gauntlet. The stones are gone. Tony stands up to reveal the stones on his armor. “And I am Iron Man.”

He snaps his fingers, and one by one, Thanos’s army turns to dust, and then, Thanos himself turns to dust.


End file.
